Chapter 4

Dawn of a new age.

*****

[Analyzing Host Status ]

[ Complete ]

[ FANTASY ART TIER 2 ]

[ ACQUIRED GIFT - Flash speed ( 0Km/Hr) ]

[ Host is required to carry out punishment... 20 laps ]

[ The system wish to know if the host has any question ]

' why did you reward me with a zero flash speed? You cheated me! '

Mac pulled himself up as he woke to the sound of the system. A golden ray lit the bed as the sun shone marvelously above the ranges in the East. It was a bright Sunday morning as a matter of fact, and Mac had accomplished no tasks so far.

[ Host is required to activate gift by himself ]

'Like what do you mean!'

[ Host has to exercise for flash speed to be activated ]

The kind of replies he got from this bizarre parasite didn't shake him but created irritation in him. The system had everything to its advantage, his body and now his will!

' Who created you? '

Mac asked out of curiosity. To this point, he had long realized there was no way to evade what the system demanded from him, it provided nothing for free.

[ REPLYING TO HOST ]

[ You are not worthy to know of my origins ]

' When shall this Xulian get regenerated '

[ That too is none of your business, just do what you should do ]

But, 16 years ago the system had promised to leave his body once the heavenly princess is regenerated. Mac regretted accepting the system.

' I should have pressed DENY when I had the chance rather than being your slave. '

[ You are the slave to yourself]

' I didn't ask you.! '

[ I know, but Advice is offered free of charge ]

Tsk.

Just at the moment when Mac was about to curse the system, the door to the ward opened up and his grandmother walked in with a tray loaded with breakfast but Mac simply walked past, pecking his grandmother on the cheek as he decided to first get to the field.

"I will be back nanny." He assured as he picked a piece of cake and hurriedly left.

Outside the hospital everything was all quiet, the fresh air embraced him as he began a jog once outside the gates. It seemed like ages as his trainers hit the solid tarmac softly and the thought of why had his friends never come along hit him. He had to know where Sam and Rachel had been all this while but as he thought of them, just coincidentally, Rachel came along, jogging heavily from the opposite direction.

"Rachel?" Mac was the first to call out as Rachel made a stop, huffing with a broad smile exposing her egg-like arranged teeth that glittered silverily.

"Mac! Oh my God! You are ok." The hug had been unexpected as Rachel couldn't stop her tears from condensing. She had just known that Mac had fallen into a coma after a week of waiting. The feeling she had for Mac was mutual, but deep down, she always knew Jamie Mac was the one.

"Let's jog to the field," Mac suggested as Rachel took his hand in hers and obediently jogged alongside him. There was a lot to be shared, but Mac had to get to the field first.

[ Ancient Scriber Xulian has regenerated! ]

[ System request host to share a bond with Xulian ]

"What do you mean?"

[ My time with you is over as promised. You need to finish up the 20 laps to awaken your potential ]

"At least, You sucked!"

[ Yeah being a system sucks, goodbye ]

Jamie Mac smiled as he accepted the request to bond with Xulian. His face glimmered in joy as he felt the system releasing its hold on him. But just then, a wind started picking up and dark heavy clouds began to soar across the sky, to the east, dimming the bright sunshine.

"We are being followed!" Rachel tightened her grip as Mac looked behind and confirmed.

"We have to hide!" Mac quickly led Rachel off the street into an alley through the first unlocked door that answered his urgency shutting it with a bang as he locked it from the inside.

He finally managed to breathe as he relaxed. They were in a vacant room, with no window.

"We are safe here," Mac said as he held on to Rachel who was doubtful and confused.

"Is this room real?" She asked as she walked up the wall to feel the texture. Something about the wall was weird, and the air in here too was a bit hot, but not amusing.

"Don't you feel anything?"Rachel asked as she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.

"Yeah, I feel like a surge of energy is flowing inside me." Mac agreed.

"We should leave." Mac who saw Rachel now mute, with her eyes closed not responding to him feared that this was a trap.

He turned to look at the exit, the door they had used but behind him was just the wall. 'Wasn't I standing in front of the door?' Mac wondered as he turned around and again saw no door but just the wall.

All four corners had no door, not even a crack!

"Rachel!"Mac created a fuss over it. They were mysteriously trapped!

" What?"Rachel finally came to sense and realized that there was no way out too. The room instantly began fading into white as the walls disappeared and the roof and floor became one.

Time and space here too didn't exist as Mac held Rachels's hand as they now lost their compass. Everywhere was identical, they walked for what they assumed to be fifteen minutes but realized they were still in the same position as before.

Worriedness covered their face as fear condensed in their hearts, this was not a dream!

Finally, they got tired and sat on the white floor, hopeless. The air in here sooner made them drowsy and shortly Rachel couldn't withstand the dearth.

Mac too, who had lost the orbit of time, shortly found himself falling into slumber like Rachel.

*****

As this had been going on, another party had been secretly keeping an eye on the two.

This was the crusade party. A secret organization formed by the Ambro force to hunt down, and if possible capture any race that was not human. They had been to the outskirts and through the ridges but only after getting to the city did they manage to locate a very weird existence, something about the young man had drawn the crusader's attention.

"Squad leader, shouldn't we capture them now?" One of the men, an archer asked. It seemed to be the right time, for Mac and Rachel had run into a dead end.

"No. Let's wait and see." The leader decided as he wanted to watch the fight as three gangsters pulled around the corner and blocked their prey's escape.

"What is he doing?" The archer suddenly noticed Mac walking up to the wall and rubbing his hand on it as if fumbling with a knob.

"Haha!" The Crusaders laughed as they thought he was doing some prayer thing for his gods to protect him. Now the slimy gangster and his alias were just turning the corner, running towards Mac, when Mac disappeared through the wall with the girl.

"Squad leader...." The crusade suddenly freaked as they lost track of their target. They had just walked through the wall!

"Quick, get down there.!" The squad leader who too had not expected that got terrified. "The boy is a Magnus!" He warned the rest who jumped off the roofs to land.

Being a member of the Crusade party, one had to practice martial arts and more so, learn the technique of the immortals that required anima, the alternative phrase they used to refer to mana.

Jumping from the roof to the ground was like jumping from a chair to the crusader who had acquired the first tier in the formidable hell technique.

To them, this was bad news. The squad leader could not report back to the higher-ups after a failure, he had to accomplish his mission.

Directly down on the street, the crusade intel integrated with the crowd and started an investigation. They walked up to the wall the two had walked through and even tried walking through too but only met solid brick head first.

"Squad leader... There is no portal." A crusader reported as he confirmed the wall. It was pure clay brick, with no anima in it.

"I want a search to be conducted inside that building!" The squad leader who was now furious jumped over to the opposite building and broke in to join the search.

"Kill the three gangsters, leave no witness." He ordered as he tried cracking a spell through the walls.